LA’s Fix-and-Release Policy: A Do-Nothing Approach to Sidewalk Maintenance

Organized abandonment.

 

That’s a concept from scholar Ruth Wilson Gilmore, and it’s how we described the City of LA’s approach to sidewalks when talking with Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez. He dove head first into the rabbit hole of LA sidewalk “policy,” and his two recent columns are worth the read (from September 1 and from August 17). He visibly captures the topography of LA sidewalks: “sidewalk mountain ranges,” “peaks and valleys,” “ramps and canyons,” “jagged peaks and snaking tree roots.”  

 

Los Angeles has a sidewalk maintenance policy known as “Fix-and-Release.” It was intended to function like this: the City would fix the buckled sidewalk in front of your house, then release it to you—meaning, you would then be responsible for keeping the sidewalk accessible and functional. But the City is still the party with ultimate responsibility and liability (see pages 39-40 of the report) if there’s an injury from someone tripping on a broken sidewalk. 

 

This policy has been confusing from the start. The City hasn’t made significant progress, so there’s not much to “release.” As of June 2021, only 4,879 certificates had been issued under the Fix-and-Release policy, covering less than 1% of the City’s 640,000 sidewalk parcels.

 

A closer look reveals that this approach is fundamentally flawed and ineffective.

 

As documented in an August 2023 memo from the Bureau of Engineering (BOE), the current policy assigns property owners responsibility for sidewalk maintenance under state law. At the same time, the City is tasked with ensuring accessibility under federal law. The Fix-and-Release policy, however, has resulted in the City neither fixing its sidewalk at a reasonable pace nor holding property owners accountable for their maintenance responsibilities, leaving a significant gap in this framework. 

 

While billed as a way to equitably share responsibility between the City and property owners, Fix-and-Release is actually a policy of inaction. The City Council wrote into the municipal code that the City will not inspect and enforce maintenance obligations for any sidewalk built prior to 2017—in other words, almost every sidewalk—until the City rebuilds the sidewalk in front of that property to current accessibility standards. Theoretically, this should streamline repairs and ensure that sidewalks meet federal accessibility standards. In practice, it has done little to address the underlying issues. 



The City Council’s decision to ease the burden on property owners did not fully acknowledge the significant investment required to address our sidewalk infrastructure. Nearly a decade after the City settled the Willits case, Los Angeles still does not have a complete inventory and assessment of our broken sidewalks, let alone a true accounting of how much funding it will take to fix them. This results in a systemic failure to achieve the accessibility goals the policy aims to support. 

 

With the Council declining to enforce sidewalk maintenance, while also not developing a comprehensive plan to fix them, sidewalks remain in disrepair. The current approach is not only inadequate but also disingenuous. It allows the City to avoid taking decisive action while placing an undue burden on property owners who want accessible sidewalks in front of their homes. The “Fix-and-Release” model has proven to be a hollow promise, failing to deliver on its objectives and contributing to growing frustration among neighbors and advocates alike.

 

It is time for the City of Los Angeles to reconsider its ineffective sidewalk policy. For years, Investing in Place has advocated for ending LA’s Fix-and-Release model in favor of a more effective approach that genuinely improves sidewalks, enhances accessibility, and treats them as assets to be managed. We will explore these issues at our Sidewalks Zoom Workshop on September 24th, where we’ll review policies from 30 major U.S. cities. Last year, Councilmember and Public Works Committee Chair John Lee supported reconsidering Fix-and-Release, but the proposal failed to gain traction with other council members. 

 

It’s crucial that we advocate and adopt a policy that not only promises but delivers meaningful improvements to our public spaces. Our sidewalks are not just pathways; they are vital components of our public infrastructure and essential to the well-being of all Angelenos.

 

In the next post, we’ll explore why sidewalks are ecosystems, and why LA’s fragmented approach to managing them is a social and environmental failure.

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Estolano Advisors

Richard France

Richard France assists clients with strategic planning, visioning, and community and economic development. He is a strategic planner at Estolano Advisors, where he has been involved in a variety of active transportation, transit-oriented development, climate change resiliency, and equitable economic development projects. His work in active transportation includes coordinating a study to improve bike and pedestrian access to transit oriented districts for the County of Los Angeles, and working with the Southern California Association of Governments to host tactical urbanism events throughout the region. Richard also serves as a technical assistance provider for a number of California Climate Investment programs, including the Affordable Housing Sustainable Communities, Transformative Climate Communities, and Low Carbon Transit Operations programs. He has also taught at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. Richard received a Bachelor of Environmental Design from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and his M.A. in Urban Planning from UCLA.

Accelerator for America, Milken Institute

Matt Horton

Matt Horton is the director of state policy and initiatives for Accelerator for America. He collaborates with government officials, impact investors, and community leaders to shape infrastructure, job creation, and equitable community development efforts. With over fifteen years of experience, Matt has directed research-driven programs and initiatives focusing on housing production, infrastructure finance, access to capital, job creation, and economic development strategies. Previously, he served as the director of the California Center at the Milken Institute, where he produced research and events to support innovative economic policy solutions. Matt also has experience at the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), where he coordinated regional policy development and planning efforts. He holds an MA in political science from California State University, Fullerton, and a BA in history from Azusa Pacific University. Additionally, Matt serves as a Senior Advisor for the Milken Institute and is involved in various advisory boards, including Lift to Rise and WorkingNation.

UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies

Madeline Brozen

Madeline is the Deputy Director of the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies at the Luskin School of Public Affairs. She oversees and supports students, staff, and faculty who work on planning and policy issues about how people live, move, and work in the Southern California region. When not supporting the work of the Lewis Center community, Madeline is doing research on the transportation patterns and travel needs of vulnerable populations in LA. Her recent work includes studies of low-income older adults in Westlake, public transit safety among university students, and uncovering the transportation needs of women, and girls in partnership with Los Angeles public agencies. Outside of UCLA, Madeline serves as the vice-chair of the Metro Westside Service Council and enjoys spending time seeing Los Angeles on the bus, on foot, and by bike.

Office of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass

Luis Gutierrez

Luis Gutierrez, works in the Office of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, as the Director of Energy & Water in the Office of Energy and Sustainability (MOES), Luis oversees issues related to LA’s transition to clean energy, water infrastructure, and serves as the primary liaison between the Mayor’s Office and the Department of Water and Power. Prior to joining MOES, Luis managed regulatory policy proceedings for Southern California Edison (SCE), focusing on issues related to equity and justice. Before joining SCE, Luis served as the Director of Policy and Research for Inclusive Action for the City, a community development organization dedicated to economic justice in Los Angeles. Luis holds a BA in Sociology and Spanish Literature from Wesleyan University, and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Cal State LA.

kim@investinginplace.org

Communications Strategist

Kim Perez

Kim is a writer, researcher and communications strategist, focused on sustainability, urban resilience and safe streets. Her specialty is taking something complex and making it clear and compelling. Harvard-trained in sustainability, she won a prize for her original research related to urban resilience in heat waves—in which she proposed a method to help cities identify where pedestrians spend a dangerous amount of time in direct sun, so they can plan for more equitable access to shade across a city.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Jessica Meaney

For over almost two decades, Jessica has led efforts in Los Angeles to promote inclusive decision-making and equitable resource allocation in public works and transportation funding. Jessica’s current work at Investing in Place is grounded in the belief that transparent and strategic prioritization of public funds can transform Los Angeles into a city where inclusive, accessible public spaces enrich both livability and well-being. As a collaborator and convener, Jessica plays a role in facilitating public policy conversations and providing nuanced insights into the interplay of politics, power, and process on decision-making and fiscal allocations.